2016 Annual Budget Briefing in Albany

On Wednesday morning, February 3, 2016, the Fiscal Policy Institute will present its twenty-sixth annual budget briefing in the Albany Room on the concourse level of the Empire State Plaza. Please note the venue change for this year’s briefing. A complimentary breakfast and check-in will begin at 8:15 a.m. Our presentation begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 10:00 a.m. We hope that you and/or members of your staff will be able to join us for what we are confident will be a useful and informative session. You can RSVP online here.

The briefing will examine various aspects of the Governor’s Executive Budget including such topics as:

Income Inequality in New York State: How do the governor’s budget proposals and our current tax system affect this major problem? We will provide the most recent research and analysis on the issue.

Minimum Wage: Increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour will be one of the most hotly debated topics this session. We will present the most recent findings and analysis from FPI and our national partners on the economic impacts of this proposal. To ensure that all hard-working New Yorkers are included under the $15 minimum wage, FPI will also examine why the state needs to increase funding for human service workers providing essential public services under state contract or Medicaid reimbursements.

Austerity Budgeting/Financial Plan: What are the impacts of continued austerity spending resulting from the governor’s self-imposed 2 percent state spending cap? Is it necessary to continue this austerity spending which will result in billions in unspecified cuts in out years when incomes and tax receipts are growing faster than 2 percent per year? The governor’s financial plan assumes the expiration of the temporary personal income tax surcharges set to sunset in 2017. FPI will present an alternative tax proposal to create a more equitable rate structure for NYS.

2016-17 Executive Budget: What are the major policy issues that the governor addresses in the Executive Budget? What are the glaring omissions in the issues being addressed? What is the overall impact of the governor’s proposed budget on the ability of the state to meet its major social and economic challenges and opportunities such as the exceptionally high child poverty rates in the major upstate cities? We provide our analysis of the governor’s proposals on taxes, education, human services, economic development, bank settlement funds, infrastructure, local government, minimum wage, and more.

Shared Opportunity Agenda for New York: FPI will outline progressive public policies that can be adopted to ensure that we create more shared opportunities to help lift New Yorkers out of poverty and provide avenues for upward mobility.

If you have any questions about the February 3rd briefing or about any budget or economic policy issues, please contact us by telephone at 518-786-3156 or by e-mail at info@fiscalpolicy.org. For more information on FPI and its work, and for copies of all of FPI’s publications, please visit our website at www.fiscalpolicy.org.